Tears
by Snow Tempest
Summary: The next generation of The Fellowship of the Ring runs away from home and safety, the three companions face their greatest fears as they battle the foes of Middle Earth.
1. Chapter 1

The Council was held in the Great Hall; King Aragorn sat on his throne, Queen Arwen at his side. Close at hand Steward Faramir and his wife Eowen, next to

them were Prince Legolas and his wife, Princess Kali.

"It is no longer a rumor, but a fact. We cannot ignore this threat any longer." Aragorn sighed, resting his head on his fist tiredly.

Legolas started forward, "The spear of Gil Galad has been unearthed?"

The King nodded, "Indeed."

Legolas' eyes widened, "If what you speak of is true; the orcs now have a leader, and are marching across the plains as we speak…"

Kali bit her bottom lip worriedly, "All those villages burned and destroyed… All those people…" Legolas put a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders as Faramir spoke up.

"My King, what do you propose Gondor do?"

Aragorn sighed and rubbed his forehead, his headaches had been getting worse of late, grey hair was now prominent under his crown, as if the wearer bore some unseen burden that stole away youth. "I will go and fight them, take back the spear, and return it to Rivendell." He stood and walked heavily to the door.

"_Let me accompany you, Aragorn."_ Legolas suggested in Elvish. Kali stepped forward, her hand on Legolas' arm, _"And I as well."_

Arwen and Eowen were not ones to be left behind for battle, they stepped forward as well. Faramir smiled and walked over to his King, "You are not alone in this, my friend." They clasped hands and firmly nodded.

Arwen felt a slight tingling in the back of her mind, she turned her head; her son, Eldarion stood in the hazy shadow of a vision. She started to go towards him, but the aura faded before she got the chance.

Eldarion woke up, panting, from another dream. He knew that his grandfather, Elrond, had the gift of prophecy, and that he himself had inherited it.

He put his head in his hands and bent over, breathing deep to rid himself of the nausea.

It wasn't always good news he got when he looked into the future… sometimes it was terrible, awful images full of blood and screams.

The seventeen year old prince stood up and went over to the washbasin. He splashed the cool water on his sweaty face and sighed, wiping his hand across his eyes.

He heard a slight noise from the balcony, his elf ears catching the sound of cloth rustling. He turned his head to see Aerial balanced on his stone balcony rail, twirling a throwing knife in her hands.

"Ari…" he breathed, staring at her as the wind played with her long braid and nightclothes.

"You better be careful, an assassin could come and get you in an instant." She teased with a smirk, flicking the knife, sending it sailing for his face. He caught it in midair, inches from his nose. He lowered it and let it fall out of his hand and clatter onto the table top.

Aerial got down off the rail, lithe as a cat, and glided over to him. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him close, "What is wrong? I heard you wake." Her room was next to his, and her ears were sharp, no doubt she had been woken by his gasping.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I had another vision." Aerial's sea-blue eyes momentarily slid open; then shut as she leaned closer into his chest.

"_What was it?"_ Her gentle whisper in Elvish soothed him, he at back down on his bed and let Aerial rub his back.

The door opened and Kenelm tried to slip in as quietly as he could, but he knocked over a pot, a stool, and a chest on his way in, causing a racket until he finally got back on his feet.

"Just let the Oliphant in, will you?" Aerial seethed. Kenelm blushed bright red; he was always embarrassed about his clumsiness, especially because the two he was always with, always compared himself to, were graceful, beautiful, smart, _perfect_. Why was he the clumsy, awkward, bumbling one?

"… Full of worry… Ken, did Gandalf… Kenelm!"

Kenelm snapped out of his revere and looked at Eldarion, who was talking. "Sorry El, what?"

The prince asked the question again, "Did Gandalf ever tell you during your studies about someone named Gil Galad?"

"Gil Galad, Gil Galad, Gil Galad…" Kenelm muttered to himself, he had excellent memory, so if someone had ever said something about anything he would know. "Yes, he was commander of the Elvin army during the War of the Last Alliance!" Aerial leaned forward, interested now because of the mention of war.

"He had a spear, didn't he?" Eldarion urged, encouraging Kenelm to remember.

"Hm, he did have a famous spear! Right up there with your father's sword El!"

"Did it have any special powers?" Eldarion asked, getting up to pace.

"'Aeglos was a spear that no one could stand against, a powerful weapon that could unite the race of Elves to fight for any cause.' That's what Master Gandalf said."

_A spear with that power, in the hands of an Orc… _ Eldarion could see that pain that would bring t Gondor and its people. No, not just Gondor; the whole of Middle Earth. This had to be dealt with.

Eldarion grabbed a tunic from where it lay on a chair and pulled it over his head, "Come, we must tell my father." He turned to go to the door but Aerial caught his arm,

"Let's make sure that there really is a threat before we go running to King Aragorn, El."

The grey-eyed prince looked down at the serious face of the girl. "Princess Aerial, daughter of Prince Legolas and Princess Kali of Mirkwood; I will take this information to my father, it could save some lives."

She gritted her teeth at the use of her formal title, but continued persistently, "But they would keep us here and go take care of it themselves! Don't you want to have a chance to help your people? To get outside the wall?"

This made him freeze. "Outside?" He turned and looked at her.

She grinned and held out her hand, "We can save Middle-Earth, and our parents would never be able to ignore our usefulness. Your father wouldn't hide things from you; my parents would let me join them in combat, and Kenelm…" She glanced over at the human, "would be less pathetic."

"H-hey!" Kenelm protested, blushing and waving his fist with his staff firmly clenched in it.

Eldarion looked at her outstretched hand, and took it.


	2. Chapter 2

Aerial leapt from the wall to the ground, landing silently. She snuck across to a couple of guards and gave them a surprise they didn't want; a knife-hand to the back of the neck.

As they crumpled to the ground Aerial motioned the other two forward. Out of the shadows stepped Eldarion, resembling a shadow himself, carrying nothing with him bust a black cloak, satchel with provisions, and a sword.

Kenelm, however, was a different matter. Pots, food, herbs, rope, water, maps, his staff, extra clothes, flint, torches, and a small dagger all piled up onto him as he staggered out of the corner. Aerial rolled her eyes and kicked open the small wooden door to the stables.

The horses whinnied a little in surprise until Kenelm quieted them, being the son of Eowen, the princess of Rohan; it was in his blood to tame horses. They regarded him in silence for a few seconds then nuzzled their velvety noses into his hair and started chewing on it.

"Hey!" Kenelm shouted, surprised and now wet from the horse's saliva.

Aerial covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him, but it was too late; more guards came running in from the left. She groaned inwardly and pulled her grey-green hood up to cover her face. Sliding out the half-closed door she jumped on the first man that she saw and kicked him legs out from under him.

The next two came at her from opposite sides; she jumped of the first, using his momentum to propel herself farther, and kicked both men in the face at the same time.

Eldarion and Kenelm stared in admiration as she sprinted over to them and whispered harshly, "Go, go, go!" They each chose a horse and broke out of the stables, riding towards the back gate as quickly and silently as they could.

Finally they reached the gate, with only a little trouble with Kenelm's pots clanking. This was it; their great adventure, their chance to prove they were ready to face the world.

Eldarion took a deep breath; this really _was_ it for him, if he messed up, his father would never trust him again.

Aerial looked over at him, and then quickly looked back down at her saddle when he noticed; she knew what this was for him, a test. She wasn't as worried for herself so much as him, she had an eternity to make up for this mistake, he had a lifetime.

Kenelm was worried about his friend's sanity. War? Battle? Glory? Even if those things existed outside the city walls, he sure didn't want any part in it. But, he looked over at his friends, he had to do it for them.

The gate swung open reviling open plains and sunrise.

They directed their horses out and started riding.

Their adventure had just begun.

My name is Saruman. The white? No longer. I am Saruman the Black, and I have seen the things that will come to pass.

The three children, still new to the world, will serve as pawns.

Their parents will become puppets to my will once I have their offspring in my trap.

Revenge, yes, revenge.

Revenge on Rohan for surviving under my armies.

Revenge on Gandalf for staling what was rightfully_ mine_, and not his.

Revenge on that Elf prince for shooting me and letting me fall a thousand feet and leaving me _impaled _on that spike for years.

Revenge on that king of Men for being born!

_I will have them beg, plead, and grovel._ _I will make them pay! I will make them _all_ pay! _

"They're gone?" The King of Gondor asked, his hand resting on his forehead.

"They're gone." Affirmed one of the guards who had searched all of Gondor for the three royal children; huffing for breath.

All the people in the room groaned inwardly. Aragorn rubbed his aching head with a hand, Arwen put a hand on his shoulder, "They will be alright, I am sure of it."

Kali nodded and grinned, "Aerial, Eldarion, and Kenelm all have training of some sort; they will be fine until we find them."

Legolas seemed comforted by his wife's statement (because she was always right), "Do you have any idea where they could have gone?"

On the other end of the room Gimli grumbled; disappointed that he wouldn't see the kids and give them the presents he had gotten for them. Three razor-sharp, dwarven crafted axes with a nice leather grip. _They would have loved it so much!..._ The dwarf grieved silently and looked at the shiny, albeit very dangerous, weaponry.

Kali shot a quick glare at Gimli, "Were you thinking on giving that to my daughter, Gimli?"

The dwarf looked up at the Elvish princess and backed away slowly. "No… Maybe… Yes." He finally gave in.

"As much as you are a welcome sight, Lord Gimli, we need to locate our children right away." Faramir said, nodding to his wife, who ran past him with a saddle in her hands, ready to ride.

But Aragorn held them back, "No, let u first see what they do."


End file.
